Page 63 of Till Orc Do Us Part

I walk from the lounge into the heart of the building I forged.

And I know now, no matter what the board decides, this is a war I will not surrender.

CHAPTER 19

ROWAN

The beach is empty this time of night.

Moonlight slicks across the tide like liquid silver. The waves whisper low and steady, their pull as ancient as breath.

I kick off my sandals, toes sinking into cold, damp sand.

The poetry night wrapped hours ago, but I couldn’t face going home yet. Couldn’t face the quiet where my mind would spin circles around one damn voice and the way it wrapped around Jamie’s words like a gift.

So here I am.

And so is he.

Drokhaz walks beside me, silent as the sea.

No suit tonight—just a dark sweater and rolled sleeves, boots leaving deeper tracks than mine. He carries the night around him like a cloak, shoulders broad beneath the stars.

Neither of us says much at first.

Which is fine.

I don’t trust myself to speak yet.

We walk past a cluster of driftwood logs, a tide-worn buoy half-buried in the sand. The briny tang of seaweed floats on the air.

I clear my throat. “You didn’t have to read tonight.”

He glances at me. “I know.”

“Then why?”

A pause. His gaze turns seaward. “Because it mattered. To Jamie. To you.”

My breath catches.

I dig my toes deeper into the sand. “That’s dangerous, you know.”

A faint smile curves his mouth. “I have survived worse.”

“Corporate boards don’t take kindly to sentiment.”

His expression flickers—something shadowed beneath the calm.

“I am aware.”

We walk another stretch in silence, waves breaking softly at our sides.

I stop. Wrap my arms around myself.

“Why?” I ask, voice raw. “Why do you care? About this place. About any of it.”

He turns to face me fully, eyes dark and unreadable.